Naoroji, Dadabhai (1825–1917)

Indian-born British politician and Indian nationalist. A founder member of the Indian National Congress (see Congress Party), he served as is its president in 1886, 1893 and 1906. He left India in 1886 to seek a seat in Parliament, which he achieved as Liberal member for Finsbury Central in 1892, the first Indian British MP. Naoroji argued that high taxes and other charges were draining India's wealth and that India's poverty was caused by British exploitation of its resources.

A Parsee, he was a teacher of mathematics in Bombay (now Mumbai) prior to leaving for the UK.